M A T H E M A T I C A L P R A C T I C E & 1 8 T H - C E N T U R Y B R I T I S H V O Y A G E S O F S C I E N T I F I C E X P L O R A T I O N

PRECISION EXPLORATION

Dr Rebekah Higgitt, University of Kent@beckyfh

NMMPAI0470

CAPTAIN EDMOND HALLEY

An East Indiaman off Saint Helena, byThomas Luny, 18thC (NMM: BHC3519)

Edmond Halley, by Godfrey Kneller,before 1720 (NMM: BHC2734)

ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH

John Flamsteed, with Thomas Weston,Painted Hall, Greenwich Hospital

Royal Observatory, Greenwich, c.1700Jan Griffier (NMM: BHC1817)

JAMES HODGSON

James Hodgson, by G. White afterThomas Gibson (Wellcome Collection)

Royal Mathematical School, by J. Taylor after Samuel Wale (LMA)

A SYSTEM OF THE MATHEMATICS

“...let every one of His Majesty’s Ships of War be provided with a good Telescope, a small Quadrant, and a good Time-keeper, and let the Teacher of Mathematicksappointed for that Ship, be obliged in every Port he comes into, to make all the Observations that happen during the time of his stay there; and let him be obliged at his return home, to bring them to the Royal Society, or to any Person or Set of Men whom the Government shall think fit to appoint for this Purpose, who should be obliged from time to time, to make such Corrections in the Charts, as those Helps should afford them....”

“...let every one of His Majesty’s Ships of War be provided with a good Telescope, a small Quadrant, and a good Time-keeper, and let the Teacher of Mathematicksappointed for that Ship, be obliged in every Port he comes into, to make all the Observations that happen during the time of his stay there; and let him be obliged at his return home, to bring them to the Royal Society, or to any Person or Set of Men whom the Government shall think fit to appoint for this Purpose, who should be obliged from time to time, to make such Corrections in the Charts, as those Helps should afford them....”

TRANSIT OF VENUS, 1761

Shipping off Saint Helena, by AdamCallander, c. 1785 (NMM BHC1826)

Nevil Maskelyne by John Russell,c. 1776 (NMM ZBA4305

PUBLISHING LONGITUDE, 1763

TRANSIT OF VENUS, 1769

MASKELYNE AND COOK’S 2ND VOYAGE

“may be rendered more serviceable to the improvement of Geography & Navigation than it can otherwise be if the ship is furnished with Astronomical Instruments as this Board hath the disposal of or can obtain the use of from the Royal Society and also some of the Longitude Watches; and, above all, if a proper person could be sent out to make use of those Instruments & teach the Officers on board the ship the method of finding the Longitude.”

Maskelyne to Lord Sandwich, Nov 1771, in Board of Longitude Minutes, 28 Nov 1771

http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-RGO-00014-00005/211

INSTRUMENTS FOR COOK’S 2ND

VOYAGE• 2 Astronomical Quadrants of 1-

foot radius• 2 Astronomical Clocks• 1 Transit Instrument• 2 Common Brass Hadley’s

Quadrants• 2 Alarum Clock• 2 Reflecting Telescopes• Mr Kendal’s Watch• Mr Arnold’s Watch

• 2 Journeymen Clocks• 2 of Dollond’s last improved 3 ½

feet Telescopes wth Object Glass, Micrometers & moveable wires

• 2 Brass Hadley’s Sextants with Mr

Maskelyne’s Improvements• 6 Variation Charts• 2 Marine Barometers• 4 Common do

• 6 Thermometers• 2 Theodolites• 2 Wood frames with Glass roofs

for observing y reflection• 2 large magnetic needles to use

at Land• 2 do of old construction – to use

at sea• 2 Magnetic variation compasses• 2 Gunter’s Chains with spare Links

& Rings

List of Instruments & books delivered to Capt. Cook May 22 1776(NMM: AGC/8/29)

Instruments proper to be sent on the Voyage to the North West coast of America (NMM: REG09/000037)

EXPEDITIONARY ASTRONOMERS

• 1761 transit of Venus (Nevil Maskelyne, Robert Waddington, Jeremiah Dixon, Charles Mason)

• 1769 transit of Venus (James Cook, Charles Green, William Bayly, Jeremiah Dixon, Charles Mason, William Wales, Joseph Dymond, John Bradley

• Cook II (William Bayly, William Wales)• 1773 Phipps (Israel Lyons)• Cook III (James King, William Bayly)• 1787 First Fleet (William Dawes)• 1791 Vancouver (William Gooch; John Crosley)• 1801 Flinders (John Crosley; James Inman)

WILLIAM WALES (1734?-1798)

William Wales, by John Russell,1794? (Christ’s Hospital)

Page from the first edition of theNautical Almanac (1767)

WILLIAM BAYLY (1737-1810)

Detail from John Webber, A View at Anamooka (Tonga), 1777

WILLIAM GOOCH (1770-1792)

Karakakoa Bay, Owhyee (Hawaii) byT. Heddington, 1814 (NMM PA469)

William Gooch to Sarah Gooch, 29 April 1791, Mm.6.48 (Cambridge UL)

OFFICER-OBSERVERS

Captain James Cook by NathanielDance, 1776 (NMM BHC2628)

Captain James King by John Webber,1782 (National Library of Australia)

Right top: Portable heliometer by J. Dollond & Son, c.1755 (NMM AST0957)

Right bottom: 12-inch quadrant by John Bird, 1760s (Science Museum Inv: 1876-572)

Left: Transit instrument, by Jesse Ramsdenfor Dollond, c. 1780 (NMM AST0981)

Drawings by Owen Stanley 1830s-40s (National Libraryof Australia)